


Jason McConnell; a boy told in three parts

by backiejonomo



Series: bare; character studies [2]
Category: bare: A Pop Opera - Hartmere/Intrabartolo
Genre: Character Study, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-12 19:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7120204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/backiejonomo/pseuds/backiejonomo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason McConnell is actually three different versions of himself, and he has struggled to keep these three versions separate for years now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part one: Jason in Public

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! These are just some short ficlets I was inspired to write during a Bare rehearsal.  
> Each part is inspired by a line from the show.

Part one: In public.  


"you think that you know me"  


Jason is popular. When he walks down the hall, he is confidently walking in the center of the commotion. He is noticed by everyone he passes, similar to a beacon light that gets your attention from the corner of your eye. He is greeted by nearly everyone, and he offers a smile and a wave in reply. He seems like he never forgets a name, whether you’re his good friend or he helped you with your homework one time. He can make anyone feel like they’re the most important person in the whole wide world. He chats with anyone willing to chat with him. Everyone chuckles at his jokes, throwing their heads back in laughter because, well, how could you not? It’s Jason McConnell.  


Jason is effortless. He is at the top of the senior class without even trying, getting hundreds on tests and essays that he didn’t spend more than half an hour on. He breezes through assignments without ever looking the least bit tired. Teachers adore him because they know that he could do their job if he tried hard enough. He passes exams with flying colors, and always laughs when someone asks how he does it. “What?” he’ll reply with that inviting smile of his. “It wasn’t even hard”. You can’t even be jealous; it’s just natural that things came easy for Jason McConnell. It’s how things were, and nobody questions it.  


Jason is unfairly handsome. He stands at a muscular 6’4, his athletic frame towering over everyone he encounters. Girls bat their eyelashes at him like they’re trying to take flight. His perfectly white teeth dazzle their way into everybody’s heart. The initials ‘JM’ are written in the margins of every freshman girl’s notebook, flanked with hearts. His blonde hair always falls just right, making his startling blue eyes stand out even more than they already do. He somehow makes the school uniform look unfathomably attractive. It doesn’t matter what you find attractive in a person; if you had eyes, you probably thought Jason McConnell was the most gorgeous guy in school.  


Jason is the star of the basketball team. He is the first one at practice and the last one to leave. His throws seem somehow magnetically attracted to the basket, because he almost never misses. He could, quite literally, run circles around anyone on the court. He leads the team through all their wins, always scoring the game-winning basket at the last second like the superstar that he is. Guys at other schools talk about him like he’s a legend among basketball players, because he kind of is. If there’s a college scout at the game, there is no doubt that their eyes are glued on Jason. He runs up and down the court, covered in sweat and huffing for breath, but he still makes it look like this he could keep going for hours.  


Jason is all of these things, perfectly blended into a cocktail that is drunken by the entire school. Nobody pays much attention to the ingredients, only to the finished product that is presented to them.


	2. Part two: Jason at Home

Part two; Jason at home  


“if they knew, my parents, would die! they would die!”  


Jason secretly hates going home. The excitement of any school break is immediately trampled by the reminder of where he has to go for an extended period of time. The idea of being in that cold, empty house makes his skin crawl. He packs his bags with whatever he’s going to need and then he looks at himself in the mirror. He stands up as straight as he can, knowing that his father will comment on his ‘lazy posture’ if he stands any other way. He has to be the perfect young man. He looks into the eyes of his reflection and says to himself that this time, things won’t be so insufferable. It’s a lie and he knows it, but he repeats it in his head like a mantra to maintain his sanity.  


Jason is a whizz kid. His mother will gush to him about his grades and he knows that she isn’t actually impressed. She expects this from him, and her reaction would be on the opposite end of the spectrum if his report card didn’t come back with straight A’s. He plasters on a smile and tells her that any and all upcoming tests are going to be a piece of cake. Once his grades are thoroughly discussed, Jason is free to go. His mother doesn’t want anything else from him besides the neat row of letters she gets in the mail at the end of every semester.  


Jason is obedient. His mother, maybe five minutes into his arrival, shoves a list of chores into his hands and sends him on his way. He doesn’t say a thing; doesn’t even ask if he can unpack first. He goes about doing whatever she asks, because he knows what the response would be if he doesn’t. She’d call him an ungrateful son and ask him ‘who he thinks he is, talking to her like that?’ It’s better to just nod and say nothing than it is to speak. It’s safe this way.  


Jason is modest. His father comes home at around seven and spends their first family dinner together discussing Jason’s accomplishments. Jason nods when he is supposed to, smiles when he should, and says “it’s nothing” when the conversation calls for it. Jason pretends that he doesn’t hear all the snide comments that Nadia murmurs under her breath, and he pretends that he doesn’t notice the glare of animosity she’s giving him.  


Jason is the model son. He let’s his father parade him around like a trophy and brag about everything he’s done at school when they go to fancy business dinner parties. Frustration digs into him during these god awful situations. He says the polite ‘thank you’ whenever his father’s robotic business partners congratulate them. He spends the night pretending that he doesn’t see his father flirt with young secretaries, and that the tight grip his father has on his shoulders doesn’t hurt. He grinds his teeth whenever anyone tells him how much he looks and acts like his father. Later, Nadia will complain about being ignored at these parties. Jason feels a pang of jealously for how she can fade into the background. He wishes he could fade completely.  


Jason is the quiet son. He only speaks when spoken to, just as his father likes it. He knows better than to complain. He knows that there is safety in just smacking on a smile and nodding along, pretending that these conversations don’t make him want to choke himself. He pretends that the boy his parents want is the boy that he is.  


Why?  


His parents expect the perfect son, and Jason would fall victim to his father's fists if he is anything less than perfection.


	3. Part three: Jason with Peter

Part three: Jason with Peter  


“when I have you near me, I go out of my mind”  


Jason is excitement. He walks into a room and Peter is immediately enraptured. He’s the eye of the hurricane. A single brush of their hands in class can send Peter somersaulting from the quick friction of their skin. He’ll catch Peter’s eyes from across a crowded room and chills shoot down Peter’s spine instantly. Silent promises can be translated from every second of interaction, and deciphering it is Peter’s favorite pastime. He’ll pass Peter a note in class reading ‘meet me in the bathroom in five minutes’, and the look in his eyes is pure exhilaration. Peter feels like a flood inside a paper cup when he’s on the receiving end of that look.  


Jason is electric. Sometimes, he’ll pull Peter into the janitor’s closet without any warning and he’ll kiss him like he desperately needs all the air in Peter Simmonds’ lungs. After a moment like that, Peter’s lips will tingle for the rest of the day. Peter feels the imprint of Jason’s touch for hours afterwards, and Jason will smile at him when nobody’s looking because he’s completely aware of the effect he has. His touch is enthralling and his mouth is a reactive element that sparks at any contact. His hands seem to pulse with energy and passion, flowing from his finger tips and into Peter’s veins the second they touch.  


Jason is a slow burn. It’ll be completely dark in their dorm room, both of them tangled on Peter’s mattress, and he’ll kiss Peter so hard that he momentarily goes blind. It feels like there isn’t a single soul awake on this earth besides the two of them. He’ll tug off the ginger boy’s shirt and toss it to the ground like it’s an afterthought, pressing kisses to Peter’s neck like he’s meticulously tracing the steps of a treasure map. Jason’s slender fingers run through Peter’s hair, twisting it into crazy patterns that make the boy look like he got struck by lightning.  


Jason is a promise that Peter desperately wants to keep. In front of everyone, Peter will watch Jason flirt with Ivy. He reminds himself that Jason only does this because it’s what everyone expects, but he knows he’s fuming. Jason, when they’re finally alone, will do all that he can to make it up to him. “It’s a necessary evil”, Jason tells him, pressing frantic kisses to every bit of skin that is exposed on Peter’s body. Peter will start off being angry, but it’s only a matter of time before he melts into the boy that he loves. Jason will wrap his arms around Peter’s waist and hold on for dear life, like he’s in danger in falling to pieces if he let’s go for even a second. He’ll kiss Peter with his eyes screwed closed, pushing him up against a wall and not stopping for even a second.  


Jason is everything, all at once. The moments are fueled by passion but are always fleeting, slipping through Peter’s fingertips before he even has the opportunity to fully grasp them. Peter is filled with all sorts of different feelings about Jason, but there’s always one thought that sits inside the darkest pit of his heart.  


Of the few times Jason has said ‘I love you’ to Peter, he’s never looking him in the eye.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is bliss and I hope you enjoyed!


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